Your Premature Baby and Child by Amy Tracy and Dianne Maroney
provides support and valuable information for one of the most difficult
tasks of raising a child born prematurely - the transition home from the
hospital. This book is an essential resource for every parent of a premature
baby - it continues the story of caring for your premature baby from the
point where other books stop. Although the intensity of experience lessens
after leaving the hospital, parents find themselves in a new world providing
for a baby with special needs. Now the parents are the ones who are ultimately
responsible for the health and well being of their child - it is an immense
and sometimes frightening responsibility, requiring parents to assume
many new roles. Your Premature Baby and Child holds your hand as
you and your child grow together.

The excellent selection of quotes from parents bring a level of emotional
depth and experience to the Your Premature Baby and Child that
is very compelling. These quotes are likely to be extremely valuable and
affirming to parents going down the same road. The range and diversity
of impacts resultant from prematurity are many and most are addressed
in this book. The major chaptersaddress the homecoming (e.g.,
bringing the NICU home with you), medical concerns (e.g., lungs, brain,
eyes), feeding your preemie (e.g., growth, breastfeeding), your growing
preemie (e.g., early development), and your school age preemie (e.g.,
preschool and IEP's).

Parents of babies and toddlers will find Your Premature Baby and Child
very useful; I would recommend that every parent purchase a copy before
they bring their child home from the NICU. Parents of preschoolers will
also benefit from the later chapters and the chance to look back on their
experiences during their child's early years. This book fills a gap that
has been empty for many years and will play an important role in the lives
of many parents of children born premature for years to come.